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Pennsylvania Governor Rendell: Congress Must Renew Assault Weapons Ban

PHILADELPHIA, May 8 PRNewswire-USNewswire — Five days after an assault rifle took the life of a Philadelphia police officer, Governor Edward G. Rendell today called upon Congress to stand up for law enforcement and renew the expired ban on such weapons.

"The firearm used to murder Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski was designed for one thing only - the death of a fellow human being," Governor Rendell said of the Chinese-made SKI assault rifle fired at the officer as he responded to a bank robbery Saturday morning. "There was no chance that his body armor could have protected him from the power of this weapon."

Recognizing the danger assault weapons posed to law enforcement and the general public, Congress, in 1994, banned the manufacture, transfer or possession of semiautomatic firearms and large capacity ammunition magazines, as well as the import of automatic assault weapons not already banned under law.

According to a 1999 National Institute of Justice study, the ban worked:

— The ban had \"clear short-term effects on the gun market,\" leading to semiautomatic assault weapons becoming \"less accessible to criminals.\"

— Crime gun traces of assault weapons dropped 20 percent in the year following enactment of the ban. This 20 percent drop was double the overall decline in garden-variety gun murders that year.

— Murders of police by offenders with assault weapons declined from 16 percent of gun murders of police in 1994 and early 1995 to zero percent in the latter half of 1995 to 1996.

— During this time period, Boston had a 24 percent decrease in assault weapons recovered in crime, and St. Louis had a 29 percent drop.

— Maryland, which has a similar state statute, had 55 percent fewer assault pistols used to commit crimes than would have been used had it not passed its ban.

Despite the overwhelming support of law enforcement, the ban expired in 2004. Legislation to reinstate it is pending in the U. S. House of Representatives

Governor Rendell said each day that passes without a ban puts police officers at greater risk from what the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms called "mass produced mayhem."

"This issue is quite simple," Governor Rendell said. "Either support law enforcement or you don't. And if you don't, you'll have to tell the widow of the next victim or the young child of the next victim why you didn't vote to protect them,"

The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly newsletter, visit www.governor.state.pa.us.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A letter to Congress signed by Governor Rendell and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter is attached.

May 8, 2008

To Members of the Pennsylvania U.S. Congressional and Senatorial Delegation:

Last weekend, Philadelphia Police Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski was gunned down in cold blood with a Chinese SKS assault rifle. Sergeant Liczbinski did not have a chance. The murder weapon, like other assault rifles, was designed for one thing only - to injure and kill. Sergeant Liczbinski was shot at such close range that even the normal protective vests would not have stood up to the power of this assault rifle.

We are writing to urge you to stand up for our nation's law enforcement officers by reenacting legislation banning the possession, manufacture, use, or importation of assault weapons. Passing such critical officer safety legislation will protect our police from weapons that have no other purpose than to maim and kill them. Failure to enact such legislation puts their lives in jeopardy.

As you know, the assault weapons ban expired in September 13, 2004, when Congress failed to reenact it. Although the ban would not have stopped the importation of this particular weapon, this weekend's execution of Sergeant Liczbinski reminds us that our police are outgunned by criminals who have access to these weapons. Why would we allow anyone to possess such a weapon when its only purpose is to kill, especially law enforcement officers.

Our law enforcement officers are increasingly targets. Between 2002 and 2006, the number of assaults of law enforcement officers with firearms in Pennsylvania has increased by 83 percent. This is a nationwide problem. For example, Miami Police Commissioner John Timoney has said that 15 of its 79 homicides in 2006 were committed with assault weapons, and that the streets of South Florida are being flooded with these weapons since the ban expired. And data shows that the now expired ban worked when it was in effect. In 1999, the National Institute of Justice reported that trace requests for assault weapons declined 20 percent in the first calendar year after the ban took effect. In addition, a study by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence found that, in Maryland, whose state ban on assault pistols took effect in June 1994, the number of assault pistols recovered by Baltimore police in the first six months of 1995 fell by 45 percent from the first six months of 1994.

While we all dutifully attend the somber ceremonies commemorating those who have given their lives to protecting us and we say the right things, as we did this week at the Capitol in Harrisburg, the real test of how much we care about protecting our officers is whether we can stand up and do what is right and pass laws that actually protect our police officers from getting shot in the line of duty. That time is here and now, and we urge you to stand up for law enforcement and re-enact federal legislation banning the use, possession, manufacture or importation of assault rifles. Passing this legislation will go a long way to protecting those who put their lives on the line every day for us. There is no excuse to do otherwise.

Sincerely,

Edward G. Rendell Michael A. Nutter Governor Mayor Commonwealth of Pennsylvania City of Philadelphia

CONTACT:

Chuck Ardo

717-783-1116

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

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